Griff 500 vs Chim 500?
Discussion
leemarkadams said:
what are the differences between a Chim 500 and Griff 500 (apart from the Body)?
About £4k extra for the Griff for cars of a similar age I've found having been looking lately. Do prefer the Griff, but not sure whether I prefer it that much, so will have to see what comes up.
Tripps said:
leemarkadams said:
what are the differences between a Chim 500 and Griff 500 (apart from the Body)?
About £4k extra for the Griff for cars of a similar age I've found having been looking lately. Do prefer the Griff, but not sure whether I prefer it that much, so will have to see what comes up.
Jumping ship Rob?
JonRB said:
you have to ask yourself whether a chestwig & medallion or a set of golf clubs suits you better. 
Spot On. !.
But seriously though, there should be no difference in performance between a standard Chim 500 and a standard Griff 500. However, the performance between individual standard cars can vary greatly and identifying a very good one from just a normal one is not easy, though a lot of owners have their cars dyno'd at some point so this could help.
Personally, I've always preferred the looks of the Chimaera over the Griff and undoubtedley it is more practical than the Griff in terms of luggage space as it has a larger boot. Having said that, put the two alongside each other and I think the Chimaera looks a little bit more of a dated design than the Griff, but both have classic lines and timeless appeal. Interior-wise I think it works the other way and the Chimaera a lit bit more modern with a better layout.
As Tripps said earlier is a Griff worth the £4k premium ? Answer = No Way IMHO
Hiya,
I went for the Chim in my search 'cos I preferred the interior and the boot but did get adjustable shocks so can easily set your stiffness depending on your days intentions (errm if you get my understanding!)
Many more Chims were built than Griffs. Griffs therefore cost more because there are less of them in the market place. Griffs do tend to have been looked after better than some Chims but I think there are probably as many well looked after cars in both models.
(I've seen the odd Chim advertised and sold presumably as final handme downs to chavs below £4K !)
Franchised dealer stamps in the handbook are no guarantee of the condtion or insurance against mega repairs either and some private sales can be superb... just be very careful and always get advice from someone with real experience of these cars, preferably people like James Agger but there are others who will do a full vehicle inspection for you (or even find a car for you) and is well worth it (Not the AA/RAC - good for what they do but not for these cars).
You mentioned 500 specifically.. well as someone previously said there are only a few 500 Chims so you may find it easier to find a 500 Griff but do get the Sprint magazine aswell.
Also, I know it must be irrating to those who are selling, do test drive as many as you can before you make a decision - don't buy the first one you see. Many people on here have reported that they have tested the 4, 4.3 and 4.5 engined models and actually preferred one of these for colour, condition, driveability etc rather than the 5L and haven't really noticed any difference in performance and cost less on fuel, insurance and servicing etc.
Finally, I'm sure others will be able to report better experiences than me here but in my experience of my car, NO WAY is it a daily driver. In my three years of ownership (despite a pre purchase inspection) it's been off the road more than it's been on, irritating little niggles which confine it to the garage until the fault can be traced, part ordered and rectified. It costs big money to service, repair, maintain and keep them going as they should and most them of leak in all sorts of different and difficult to trace places and electrical faults abound as can chassis faults in older or accident damaged cars. Avoid them.
Everyone on here desperately wants any new owner to have a good experience of these cars as when they are good there isn't anything else like it, so please choose very carefully and be prepared to pay for best advice on a particular car before you buy... £350 pounds spent now could save you £thousands over the first 12months ownership should you get one of the many bloodthirsty 'rotten eggs' which are out there lurking just waiting for it's next unsuspecting victim.
Good luck! and let us know how you get on !!
I went for the Chim in my search 'cos I preferred the interior and the boot but did get adjustable shocks so can easily set your stiffness depending on your days intentions (errm if you get my understanding!)
Many more Chims were built than Griffs. Griffs therefore cost more because there are less of them in the market place. Griffs do tend to have been looked after better than some Chims but I think there are probably as many well looked after cars in both models.
(I've seen the odd Chim advertised and sold presumably as final handme downs to chavs below £4K !)
Franchised dealer stamps in the handbook are no guarantee of the condtion or insurance against mega repairs either and some private sales can be superb... just be very careful and always get advice from someone with real experience of these cars, preferably people like James Agger but there are others who will do a full vehicle inspection for you (or even find a car for you) and is well worth it (Not the AA/RAC - good for what they do but not for these cars).
You mentioned 500 specifically.. well as someone previously said there are only a few 500 Chims so you may find it easier to find a 500 Griff but do get the Sprint magazine aswell.
Also, I know it must be irrating to those who are selling, do test drive as many as you can before you make a decision - don't buy the first one you see. Many people on here have reported that they have tested the 4, 4.3 and 4.5 engined models and actually preferred one of these for colour, condition, driveability etc rather than the 5L and haven't really noticed any difference in performance and cost less on fuel, insurance and servicing etc.
Finally, I'm sure others will be able to report better experiences than me here but in my experience of my car, NO WAY is it a daily driver. In my three years of ownership (despite a pre purchase inspection) it's been off the road more than it's been on, irritating little niggles which confine it to the garage until the fault can be traced, part ordered and rectified. It costs big money to service, repair, maintain and keep them going as they should and most them of leak in all sorts of different and difficult to trace places and electrical faults abound as can chassis faults in older or accident damaged cars. Avoid them.
Everyone on here desperately wants any new owner to have a good experience of these cars as when they are good there isn't anything else like it, so please choose very carefully and be prepared to pay for best advice on a particular car before you buy... £350 pounds spent now could save you £thousands over the first 12months ownership should you get one of the many bloodthirsty 'rotten eggs' which are out there lurking just waiting for it's next unsuspecting victim.
Good luck! and let us know how you get on !!
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